Tag Archives: farmhouse B&Bs

For July Fourth weekend, Ken’s Brazilian Jazz band played for the Cherry Days festival in Paonia, Colorado. A friend who used to live in Paonia recommended an agritourism B&B—the Fresh and Wyld Farmhouse Inn on the outskirts of this tiny town on the Western slope.

Just-picked cherries, almond-anise biscotti and iced tea are the afternoon snack for July 4th at Fresh & Wyld Farmhouse Inn in Paonia, Colo.

This inn is dedicated to organic, healthy living: the soaps, shampoos, etc. are all-natural and “local” is the buzzword here. We had farm-fresh eggs, pancakes with homemade jam, and local ham for breakfast this morning. And there are other treats lovingly prepared by chef/owner Dava Parr. In the afternoon, she sets out fresh-brewed ice tea, just-picked cherries and crunchy anise biscotti.

Morning Freshness on the Farm

From the farmhouse’s outdoor settee at 7:30 a.m., I sip mint tea and slowly come to consciousness. The air is cool, the birds are twittering wildly in homage to the morning sun, and the world is in suspended motion. Or rather, I’m in suspended motion as farm life bustles around me—in its timeless, laid-back way. Activity that has gone on every morning since the beginning of farms.

Paco, the old-soul farm dog with bad arthritis in his hips, wastes only a moment to touch his damp nose to the back of my hand and absorb my scent before he limps off to count other guests as they emerge from their rooms. I hear the ducks “wack-wack-wacking” like cartoon characters in a pond I can’t see from here.

A farmer goes about his hoeing and watering in the hothouse. Shocks of marigolds stand guard at the ends of each garden row, warding off insects from tender tomatoes, fronds of kale, sweet peas. Mourning doves perch on the telephone pole, casting watchful eyes over the land, here in the foothills of the Roaring Fork valley. A slight breeze rustles the heart-shaped cottonwood leaves, coaxing them into daytime.

The smell of strong coffee wafted into our room this morning, and my nose decided it was time to greet July Fourth. Yesterday was hot; today is too. Though the farmhouse doesn’t have air conditioning, there’s a lovely patio with pots of flowers and benches scattered in the shade around the farm.

Ken and I are staying in the Sunflower Honeycomb room upstairs—it shares a bath with the other upstairs guests. (The main-floor rooms have private baths.) All the rooms are very cute with old-fashioned furniture; colorful, handmade bedspreads; and local artwork for sale on the walls. There’s also a boutique filled with beautiful crafts, local honey, handmade cards, quilt art, and soaps.

We’re loving this piece of farmland paradise and are spending most of the day here reading, napping, relaxing (I’m still recuperating from bronchitis, so a do-nothing vacation is just what the doctor ordered.) If you’re ever in Paonia, this is the place to stay for terrific food, friendly people, and a getaway in the country.